20 Minutes with Mrs. Eunice Obajaja, The Director of Akoko-Edo Skill Acquisition Centre Igarra.

Acquiring a skill is the gradual developmental process that requires the thinking process to work with physical abilities, in other to learn how to perform what is previously unfamiliar.

Mrs. Obajaja Eunice, the director of the Akoko-Edo Skill Acquisition Centre, Igarra, Edo State, Nigeria, explained how much benefit the Centre has brought to the Akoko- Edo community since its establishment in 2017 till date, and also how residents of the LGA, most especially the youths of both gender, have been brought out of the street by way of acquiring skills that has been of great benefit to them and the community at large.

In this interview, Mrs. Obajaja Eunice spoke with AKOKO EDO NEWSPAPER reporter, ANDREW MERCY AYOBAMI, on the benefits of acquiring skills and the challenges of the skill acquisition Centre.

AKOKO EDO NEWSPAPER: Can we get to meet you ma?

MRS OBAJAJA EUNICE: My name is Mrs. Obajaja Eunice, the director of the Akoko-Edo Skill Acquisition Centre, Igarra.

AKOKO EDO NEWSPAPER: How much benefit has the Centre brought to Akoko-Edo since it was established?

MRS OBAJAJA EUNICE: From the inception of this skills acquisition Centre, I think I have had well over 2000 trainees since it was established 2017 till date; not just make-believe trainees. When I say trainees, I mean people who are actually being trained and they know the job. And I have some of them who have already opened shops and are doing well.  If anyone comes on a visit and wants me to take them on a tour to meet some of them, they are there in town; some have shops already while others operate from their homes.

The benefit is that it has taken away youths and some older persons away from the streets. They no longer wait for government employment as graduates or even employment from menial jobs. It has also helped young school leavers to have computer knowledge; especially for those who will be writing JAMB, as JAMB is a computer-based exam. There are some of them who don’t have knowledge of computer at all; immediately they finish school, they come here and acquire computer skills, they can now write their exams without any assistance.

AKOKO EDO NEWSPAPER: Which of the communities in Akoko-Edo have shown greater enthusiasm by way of their indigenes’ enrollment at the Centre?

MRS. OBAJAJA EUNICE: Okay, Igarra is one, Enwan is another. Few of Akuku, Ojirami, Ososo, Uneme-Nekua and Aiyetoro indigenes also participate. Apart from the communities in Akoko-Edo, indigenes of other local government areas and States who live here in Igarra as well come here to acquire skills.

AKOKO EDO NEWSPAPER: What has been the greatest challenges facing the Centre?

MRS OBAJAJA EUNICE: The Centre has been facing a lot of challenges. Before I outline the ones that are yet to be solved, let me particularly talk about the issue of electricity. For computer trainees especially, before 2021 we had this serious issue of electricity. Computer trainees resume 8am and learn to 2pm. Sometimes during this period, we may not have electricity and so the computers might not be on.  We have a generator, I think 13KVA; but the challenge is that we don’t have the funds to buy diesel; so, we don’t put on the generator. We then got in touch with some members of the IDA (IGARRA DEVELOPMENT ASSOCIATION) who assisted by giving us solar light. As I talk to you right now, we are making use of solar power; because of this, there is light 24hours.

We however still have challenges in this area of energy supply; why? because we need more panels so that we can have full solar energy that can power every electronics that we have here at the Centre; particularly in the computer section; we need more panels and batteries.

Aside electricity the computer section needs more desktop computers and laptops. As I speak to you, we have about eight desktop computers and one office laptop. Of this number only about four (4) of the desktop computers function well. If we can get more computers and particularly laptops, I think the training will be made easier for the trainees.

We also need more starter kits and equipment in all the departments. There is the need to increase the number of sewing machines and to get sufficient funding to maintain them. Our current funding is barely enough to cater for instructors’ stipends and some small running cost. We need more funding to maintain the equipment at the Centre and attend to other essentials expected of the Centre.

We don’t generate money here because the main aim of the government setting up this Skill Acquisition Centre is not to generate money; it is to empower youths; so, we don’t generate money. All we do is train them or maybe government empowers them.

Since we started in 2017, we have had only one empowerment event and we couldn’t even empower all the trainees. We selected a few of them because the empowerment packs we had was not enough. Though we currently have a low number of participants, more people will be encouraged to sign up for the training if there is empowerment for those who complete the training.

Another challenge that we have relates to the instructors. They are not encouraged because their remuneration (transport stipends) at the rate of N20,000 per month is low. If government can assist us to engage them as full staff members, their morale will be boosted. The current situation is not even helped with delays in the payment of the stipends. The situation affects their commitments to the project as they complain of lack of transport fare to come to the Centre as some of them live outside of Igarra.

AKOKO EDO NEWSPAPER: Have there been any private individuals helping the Centre with any materials?

MRS OBAJAJA EUNICE: Like I said earlier, some members of IDA (Igarra Development Association) have been of great help. In the last admission exercise that we conducted in July 2022, some members bought starter packs for not just Igarra indigenes but for everybody (I mean the first ten that enrolled in each department) and that boosted the numbers of trainees that signed up in July. A member of IDA also provided materials for bead making as an assistance to the Centre. As has already been mentioned, it was the Association that provided us the solar panels and batteries that we now use, free of cost.

The Igarra Development Association had also been there for us at one time that we had issues with a serious delay in salary payment. Aside coming up with the required financial assistance needed at the time, they contacted the relevant government authorities to remedy the situation.

The immediate past local government Chairman who is now late was also of great help to us too. He was the one that facilitated the first ceremony where we empowered some participants. These are the help we have received so far.

AKOKO EDO NEWSPAPER: Where do you employ the skill trainers from? Are they resident of Igarra?

MRS OBAJAJA EUNICE: Not all of them reside in Igarra, I have one from Ososo, another one stays in Enwan, then another from Sasaro, and some reside in Igarra; the gate keeper, the tiles fixing trainer, and the catering department trainer stay in Igarra.

AKOKO EDO NEWSPAPER: Does the Centre sell products designed by its trainees?

MRS OBAJAJA EUNICE: The only products that we sell, and its in-house selling are products from the catering department such as Puff; fellow trainees buy from them as well. There was a time Edo Jobs came from Benin to train some trainees in tiles fixing and POP, we got a number of people that came to train, and the catering department took on the responsibility of making snacks for them to buy at subsidized rate because it was not to make gain, but to show off what we do.

THE END